Jimmy Page was kind of sloppy but he had great ideas. I'll defend Page the most here.

I've never listened to Garcia much but at least he was improvising - going for a unique performance each time. His performances could be wildly inconsistent from what I've heard, though.

I never thought Cobain was highly regarded as a guitarist but I do agree he is overrated period. He just came along at the right time.

Slash, I agree. He was this cool looking dude (to some) in a very hot band who played very sloppy and not very originally. Because of his rock star image he still seems to get alot of play today in the guitar community.

My pick:Eric Clapton-He IS a very good guitarist but not very original and definitely not "God".

Clapton can play. He may have gotten his ideas from freddie and albert king but the man can play the guitar. I think your all jealous. If Duane Allman thought he was good then I'll go with Duane rather than frustrated web bloggers. When you make a it fraction as big in the world then say something.

Splash and Prince yeah they can play rock guitar I just generally don't like their music. I don't know that they are over rated i just find them uninteresting. Eddie van Halen was amazing but I don't really like that band's music either. Just not my thing.

When I walk into a music store and cannot find a a section or cd by the world's most amazing living guitar pioneer/god Allan Holdsworth, somethin ain't right.

Seriously, I can't even begin to fathom why that is. But it makes me think of the movie Idiocracy. I know that some musicians know about him and that's about it.

I don't think jeff beck has played a new lick in 30 years. he's great but i don't dig the computer generated funk he did recently.Blow by Blow and Wired are among my favorite albums of all time. i do want to go back and rediscover his early stuff like Truth. It's been sooo long since i've heard that. I hear his new dvd live at ronnie scott's is smokin. I'll always respect him for being out there tryin!!

Page i don't really give a shit about but I admit he could play. Not really into him but he had some great solos and musical contributions during Led Zeppelin including some acoustic experiments in an arena rock band. I think I just covered the Yardbirds' guitarists.

I like metheny not alot of his psuedo brazilian stuff moves me that much kind of too loungy. His latest group album The way up isn't bad with some Reichian influence in the 1st section.

Buckethead is amazing. I'll give him that. His solo show is pretty intertesting. I don't really listen to that brand of satriani/vai/E johnson rock but they are all good players. Yngwie would be good if he'd lay off the twinkies and get serious. Al DiMeola has some taste issues but also an amazing player and overall contributions.

Clapton can play. He may have gotten his ideas from freddie and albert king but the man can play the guitar. I think your all jealous. If Duane Allman thought he was good then I'll go with Duane rather than frustrated web bloggers. When you make a it fraction as big in the world then say something.

Geez, let's get defensive, why don't we. I don't hate the guy. His playing just never really struck me as anything particularly special is all. I'd rather pick more interesting guitar players to get jealous over.

Last edited by madcow1515 on Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Geez, let's get defensive, why don't we. I don't hate the guy. His playing just never really struck me as anything particularly special is all. I'd rather pick more interesting guitar players to get jealous over.

i hear the same thing about jimi hendrix from kids today, "I don't really understand his importance or contribution." The thing about Eric is his influence. He is humble about his musical origins and makes it known where he got his sound. He's an educator in that sense.I don't really care what anyone likes or dislikes. Just what i like. But if you make a statement then people respond. In the late sixties and early 70's Clapton in Cream was interesting on a worldwide level. They took raw blues forms and put them into the rock arena and a m radio. You don't have to like it but that's the reality. They shook the world making way for led Zeppelin. Anyway no offense meant. I think his contribution was special like buddy guy special. OVER THE TOP for the time. Better than the Lawrence welk show.

Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:08 amPosts: 1026Location: The place where they keep the imaginary diseases

I always thought Jimi Hendrix was a bit over rated. Maybe everyone thought he was great because he burnt up a couple of guitars, played left handed and died too young, I don't know. I'm not saying I dislike him or his music (Machine Gunis the shit), I just think he's a little over rated.

Geez, let's get defensive, why don't we. I don't hate the guy. His playing just never really struck me as anything particularly special is all. I'd rather pick more interesting guitar players to get jealous over.

i hear the same thing about jimi hendrix from kids today, "I don't really understand his importance or contribution." The thing about Eric is his influence. He is humble about his musical origins and makes it known where he got his sound. He's an educator in that sense.I don't really care what anyone likes or dislikes. Just what i like. But if you make a statement then people respond. In the late sixties and early 70's Clapton in Cream was interesting on a worldwide level. They took raw blues forms and put them into the rock arena and a m radio. You don't have to like it but that's the reality. They shook the world making way for led Zeppelin. Anyway no offense meant. I think his contribution was special like buddy guy special. OVER THE TOP for the time. Better than the Lawrence welk show.

No offense taken. I just don't get it when people resort to the "I'd like to see YOU do better, junior!" line of arguing. As for Hendrix, I think it would be pretty hard to argue that the guy didn't have a very distinct style of his own. In the words of Bill Hicks, the guy played the guitar with his dick.

_________________Everytime we picked a booger we'd flip it on this one winduh. Every night we'd contribute, 2, 3, 4 boogers. We had to use a putty knife, man, to get them damn things off the winduh. There was some goober ones that weren't even hard...

Clapton can play. He may have gotten his ideas from freddie and albert king but the man can play the guitar. I think your all jealous. If Duane Allman thought he was good then I'll go with Duane rather than frustrated web bloggers. When you make a it fraction as big in the world then say something.

OK, I admit it. I'm just a frustrated web blogger. I'll never be so much as the beginning of a pimple on the great Eric Clapton's ass. I think I'll go cry now.

By your own reasoning you should keep your opinions to yourself as well until you accomplish something. We should all keep our mouths shut and then there wouldn't be any need for this forum to even exist.

okay let me put it another way. If a person could recognise good blues guitar playing they would know Clapton and Hendrix are among the superior players of that particular style of music. They are creative players. They got where they were on top of the game musically because they had the talent and the chops to make it happen. No one handed them a guitar and they all of a sudden became world reknowned. They worked for it. You might not like them or think they are great but they are great. You can't get around that really. Subjective criticism won't change the fact that they influenced millions of musicians just like Zappa did. Over rated my ass. How do you rate a guitarist in a style you may ask? There are basic benchmarks that make great players. Zappa was a good melodic guitarist but his compositional output may never be equalled. That's just fact. I'll stand up for clapton or hendrix any day of the week and with this thread i just might. Until i'm tired.I'll take Hendrix and Clapton you can have Townsend and Page. I'll trade you a Vai for a Buddy Guy and raise you a King. It doesn't really matter it's about who you resonate with and works for you.

okay let me put it another way. If a person could recognise good blues guitar playing they would know Clapton and Hendrix are among the superior players of that particular style of music. They are creative players. They got where they were on top of the game musically because they had the talent and the chops to make it happen. No one handed them a guitar and they all of a sudden became world reknowned. They worked for it. You might not like them or think they are great but they are great. You can't get around that really. Subjective criticism won't change the fact that they influenced millions of musicians just like Zappa did. Over rated my ass. How do you rate a guitarist in a style you may ask? There are basic benchmarks that make great players. Zappa was a good melodic guitarist but his compositional output may never be equalled. That's just fact. I'll stand up for clapton or hendrix any day of the week and with this thread i just might. Until i'm tired.I'll take Hendrix and Clapton you can have Townsend and Page. I'll trade you a Vai for a Buddy Guy and raise you a King. It doesn't really matter it's about who you resonate with and works for you.

If you read my original post you saw that I said "Clapton IS a very good guitarist". You're right, he is a great blues player. But there are many great blues players. I even like him and have purchased considerable Clapton product over the years. He has alot going for him - he's a good singer and is a good songwriter. I just think that if we're just talking about guitar playing there are other more obscure players (including those of his era) that are just as deserving of recognition (or even more deserving). This makes him overrated to me.

I dig Hendrix and all the other guitarists you cited (and criticized in some cases). You talk about Holdsworth. Put him next to Clapton and tell me which of the two is more unique and innovative and which one is the more overrated of the two.

okay let me put it another way. If a person could recognise good blues guitar playing they would know Clapton and Hendrix are among the superior players of that particular style of music. They are creative players. They got where they were on top of the game musically because they had the talent and the chops to make it happen. No one handed them a guitar and they all of a sudden became world reknowned. They worked for it. You might not like them or think they are great but they are great. You can't get around that really. Subjective criticism won't change the fact that they influenced millions of musicians just like Zappa did. Over rated my ass. How do you rate a guitarist in a style you may ask? There are basic benchmarks that make great players. Zappa was a good melodic guitarist but his compositional output may never be equalled. That's just fact. I'll stand up for clapton or hendrix any day of the week and with this thread i just might. Until i'm tired.I'll take Hendrix and Clapton you can have Townsend and Page. I'll trade you a Vai for a Buddy Guy and raise you a King. It doesn't really matter it's about who you resonate with and works for you.

If you read my original post you saw that I said "Clapton IS a very good guitarist". You're right, he is a great blues player. But there are many great blues players. I even like him and have purchased considerable Clapton product over the years. He has alot going for him - he's a good singer and is a good songwriter. I just think that if we're just talking about guitar playing there are other more obscure players (including those of his era) that are just as deserving of recognition (or even more deserving). This makes him overrated to me.

I dig Hendrix and all the other guitarists you cited (and criticized in some cases). You talk about Holdsworth. Put him next to Clapton and tell me which of the two is more unique and innovative and which one is the more overrated of the two.

I hear ya. I'm just saying Clapton deserves the recognition.

there are other more obscure players (including those of his era) that are just as deserving of recognition (or even more deserving).

What other guitar players from his era who are more obsure do you think deserve as much or more recognition? peter green comes to mind. But he flaked out. Robert fripp also another brilliant contributor also seems to be his own worst business partner. So it's kind of a survival of the fittest it seems on the business end. It's the complete package of making your talent work for you. Clapton has done that.Where as many of the other players fell to the wayside to addictions or whatever. Guys like Ian Anderson invested and did very well! He can produce his own album any time he wants because he figured out how to also play the game.

Holdsworth. Put him next to Clapton and tell me which of the two is more unique and innovative and which one is the more overrated of the two. again someone who needs a talented agent and quickly! get out and play Bonneroo and get out there with your bad self. I can't compare allan's style to Eric's they are world's apart stylistically. but what they did within their styles is comparable. they both stretched them. Although allan's stretches are much more difficult and elaborate. You can say Clapton took the bluesman road but it doesn't give it less value. He does blues. Allan does what he does. Eric Clapton's success doesn't devalue Holdsworth's creativity. Allan could market himself better than he is and he might play some larger festivals where he will be noticed but it's what he chose i guess.

Are you talking to me? I posted this in response to a new forumer, theKwaze, look in activation. My pick is E Van halen, and I am amazed at the response to this topic ! I am also amazed at the responses Pat Metheny, are you kidding, it would appear that a lot of opinions on this site have not been listening to other artists enough, sure you have fz memorized but obviously no one else. Check out the work Metheny did with Jim Hall recently or is he over rated also?

_________________A government Bureau is the closest thing to eternal life on earth that you will ever see

Here's one Zappa (and I'm sure a lot of forum members) like(d), that I dislike: Brian May. I find the guitar solos he plays are "weedly weedly wee", plus he thrusts a lot unattractively, he has silly hair and despite the loss of Mecury (who was a bit of a buck-toothed wally too) he's still ill-advisedly making albums under the Queen name. Kill me now.

_________________"I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly."

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